New memorial comforts families

Updated 7:14 pm, Saturday, November 10, 2012

Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff

Image 1of/3

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 3

Bugler Benjamin Brooks, left, sounds taps as members of the National Memorial Ladies and others pay respects to fallen U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kashif M. Memon at the Fallen Warriors Memorial at Cy-Champ Park.

Bugler Benjamin Brooks, left, sounds taps as members of the National Memorial Ladies and others pay respects to fallen U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kashif M. Memon at the Fallen Warriors Memorial at Cy-Champ Park.

Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff

Image 2 of 3

Tom Logan, of Willis ,tries to contain his emotions as he talks about his son, Marine Cpl. Joseph D. Logan, 22, who was killed in Afghanistan. "It's magnificent," he said of the new memorial at 14107 Cutten.

Tom Logan, of Willis ,tries to contain his emotions as he talks about his son, Marine Cpl. Joseph D. Logan, 22, who was killed in Afghanistan. "It's magnificent," he said of the new memorial at 14107 Cutten.

Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff

Image 3 of 3

Tom Logan, of Willis ,tries to contain his emotions as he talks about his son, Marine Cpl. Joseph D. Logan, 22, who was killed in Afghanistan. "It's magnificent," he said of the new memorial at 14107 Cutten.

Tom Logan, of Willis ,tries to contain his emotions as he talks about his son, Marine Cpl. Joseph D. Logan, 22, who was killed in Afghanistan. "It's magnificent," he said of the new memorial at 14107 Cutten.

Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff

New memorial comforts families

1 / 3

Back to Gallery

Tom Logan tears up and steps behind a black wall engraved with hundreds of names at the Fallen Warriors Memorial in Cypress Springs.

Eight women in black vests hold a white glove over their hearts as a bugler plays taps to honor another Texas soldier killed in action. A friend comforts Logan during the Friday ceremony, the 10th memorial he has attended since his own son, 22, died almost a year ago.

Logan touches Joey's engraved name and pauses to find his words before talking about what the memorial, opened in October, means to him.

"It's magnificent," Logan says, smiling slightly. He points to the pillar at the memorial's center and wonders how artists created the silhouette of two soldiers on one of its sides. He speaks quietly as he looks at the four black walls radiating from the pillar, engraved with the names of Texas soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003.

More Information

To donate for memorial costs, go through PayPal at www.kiamonument.org or contact Cheryl Whitfield at (832) 868-9810.

"The only thing that hurts," he says, pausing to bite his lower lip, "is seeing all these names."

Outlet for grief

Yet, those names also comfort families in a way that a tombstone can't, says Alex McIntosh. A suicide bomber killed his 26-year-old son, Scott, in Iraq four years ago.

He says he's glad his family now has a more positive place to grieve for Scott, a corporal in the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division.

"When they walked us out on to it for the first time … ," McIntosh pauses to steady his voice as he recalls the October dedication ceremony. "It's hard to even talk about what my emotions were."

He is honored by the community coming together to recognize the sacrifices of these men and women, which McIntosh says would not have happened without Cheryl Whitfield.

Building the memorial is another accomplishment in Whitfield's short career honoring veterans that was inspired by her father's service in World War II.

An inspiration

Sitting on one of the red benches that ring the monument, Whitfield says a 2008 television report on the women's group that volunteers at Arlington National Cemetery inspired her to do something for Texas soldiers.

She formed the National Memorial Ladies, a group of women who attend the funeral of every fallen Texas soldier at Houston National Cemetery and presents the family with a condolence card.

"No veteran should be buried alone," she says.

Whitfield says family members tell her that they don't want anyone to forget the names of the fallen. That's why, in 2010, she began collecting almost half a million dollars in donations and working with local officials to build a monument to honor the latest generation of lost Texas soldiers.

At the memorial last week, she notices a couple walking along the engraved walls and asks them to sign the guest book. She offers to share stories about "her boys."

The storyteller

With a painted pink fingernail, she points to their names.

Cpl. Scott McIntosh. A small photo from his last family Christmas is taped next to his name.

Pfc. Colton W. Rusk. His dog Ely, a black lab, now lives with his parents.

Sgt. Brandon Bury. He left behind two little boys and a wife.

Cpl. Joseph Logan. He volunteered for his last tour so he could buy property in Montana near good fly fishing.

Whitfield points to a wreath honoring Memon, the latest casualty.

Soon, his name, too, will be etched into a wall and his story committed to Whitfield's care.

"I wish I didn't have to do this," Whitfield says. "I wish I didn't have to do this at all, but we wanted to keep their names alive."

Latest from the Chron.com Homepage

Click below for the top news from around the Houston area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.